Boot for shod animal's hooves

Abstract: A boot for horses' hooves made of flexible material, comprising a sole part (12) and an integral part (14) forming an upper, has inner slots (24) at the back between the sole part (12) and the upper part (19) to accommodate the protruding rear parts of the horseshoe. The engagement of these rear parts or "calks" of the horseshoes, together with the tapered shape of the upper, holds the boot on the hoof. The boot preferably extends just high enough to cover the hoof without covering the fleshy parts of the foot.

Description: The present invention relates to the field of protective covers or boots for animals feet. It is known for a rubber boot to be used for animals' hooves or for a rubber sheet to be placed between the hoof and the horseshoe to exploit the shock-absorbing effect of this material. There are various types of boots on the market, generally intended to protect the hoof if the shoe is accidentally cast, or for emergency or systematic replacement of horseshoes. A problem with these boots is ensuring that they stay on the hoof. In particular, the boots made of India rubber currently on the market comprise a sole part and an integral upper part. The upper is relatively high so that it encloses not only the hoof but a part of the foot above it and it is fixed to the foot by means of various types laces and in some cases by means of toothed steel clamps inside the boot that bite into the side walls of the hoof. A drawback of these types of boots is that they can damage the hoof because of the grip exerted by the teeth on the side walls of the hoof. Moreover, contact with hair and skin can give rise to lesions and possible maceration, yet this contact is unavoidable because otherwise the boot would not remain firmly anchored to the hoof. CH-A-153341 to Dallmeier discloses a boot made of flexible elastic material for hoofed animals according to the preamble of claim 1. The boot of Dallmeier is intentionally in the shape of a horseshoe and accommodates and protects only the horny part of the horse's foot since the result sought was to have the frog free, and possibly to allow to easily apply the boot. However this fact makes the Dallmeier boot only fit for an emergency, and not for long distances since it does not grant a good protection and it can be easily slipped, due to the combination between the little height and the excessive deformability caused by the U shape. The aim of this invention is to create a protective boot for hoofed animals, and more particularly for shod horses, that stays firmly anchored to the foot and yet does not damage the structure of the foot itself. Another aim is to provide for the foot to be well protected and well cushioned from impact. A further aim is to allow the boot to be fitted on shod hooves; yet another aim is to make it possible for the animal to wear the boot for a long time without any particular damage. These aims and others still have been achieved with a boot as claimed in claim 1. Further new and useful features are stated in the subsequent claims. The new boot comprises a lower sole part and an upper part that are integral with each other, the upper extending approximately up to the height of the animal's hoof. The boot has two hollows or slots, or a single hollow, in the inner back part that are large enough to accommodate the protruding heel parts of a horseshoe fitted to the hoof. The hollow or hollows are defined at the top by a flexible projection or check tooth that has a tapered upper surface. The boot also has fastening means in the form of a strap or thin plastic-coated cord anchored at the back that can be adjusted and tied at the front, while the upper has a slit at the front that allows it to be adjusted to the animal's hoof by bringing the edges of the slit closer together or further apart. The advantage of the new boot is that it can be fitted on shod hooves: it does not cover the hair- and skin-covered fleshy parts of the foot, thus avoiding lesions or maceration; it is easy to fit and light, and it does not damage the hoof. Moreover, it absorbs shocks and vibrations well, prevents injuries and wounds, and increases the life of the horseshoe; it promotes slow growth of the wall of the hoof; it allows journeys, walks or runs to be undertaken without the danger of casting a shoe; it enables boots with a different tread to be used in order to optimize the grip on the terrain without having to change the horseshoe. An exemplary embodiment of the invention will be described below by way of non-restrictive illustration, with reference to the attached drawings in which: figure 1 is a plan view of the boot, on a reduced scale; figure 2 is an elevational side view of the boot; figure 3 is a vertical section taken along 3-3 in figure 1; figure 4 is a section taken along 4-4 in figure 3; figure 5 shows the boot, in the same section as in figure 3, worn on a shod horse's hoof. With reference to the figures, the boot for horses' hooves, indicated as a whole by the number 10, comprises a sole part 12 and an upper part 14 that are integral with each other, and is made from natural rubber or an equivalent synthetic material. The sole part is of a suitable shape and size to accommodate and support the animal's hoof on which it is to be fitted. The upper part has a front part 16 that tapers towards the top, a short vertical back wall 18, and sides 19, 19 with an upper edge that slopes downwards from front to back. The height of the walls is substantially no greater at any point than the standard height of the walls of the hoof of the animal for which the boot is intended. The front part 14 has a slit 20 defined by edges 21, 22. Inside, between the rear wall 18 and the sole part there is a single hollow or two hollows 24,24 at a distance from each other, whose width and height is no smaller than the width and height of the tail parts of the horseshoes currently in use. This hollow or these hollows are defined at the top by a protruding wall or tooth 26 formed from material of the shoe, this protruding wall being sufficiently elastic to allow the tail parts to pass and having a tapered sloping upper surface 28 and a stepped lower surface 30. The inner surface of the sole has an arc-shaped projection 32 that defines a peripheral housing 34 to accommodate a horseshoe F (Figure 5) fitted to a hoof Z. A lace-like element 35 (indicated by a dashed line in figures 1 and 2) can be applied to the boot in various ways; for example two through holes 36 are provided in the back part of the boot 10 through which a front-tying lace 35 or plastic coated cord is passed and/or anchored.

Claims: A boot made of flexible elastic material, for hoofed animals, comprising a sole part (12) and an upper part (14) that are integral with each other and define a seat to accommodate a shoe with protruding heel parts fitted to the animal's hoof and slots (24) at the back for said protruding heel parts of the shoe, said slots being defined at the top by elastic check tooth/teeth (26), the height of the upper part at the front, sides and back being such as not to exceed the height of the walls of the animal's hoof, characterized in that said seat (34) is defined in a boot housing having shape and size to accommodate the animal's foot whereby at least the whole underside of the animal's foot, including the frog, is covered. A boot according to claim 1 characterized in that said tooth/teeth comprises/comprise a single tooth defining a hollow for the protruding heel parts of the shoe. A boot according to claim 1 or 2 characterized in that said check tooth/teeth has/have a sloping tapered upper surface and a sharply projecting lower surface (30). A boot according to claim 1 characterized in that said seat (34) is defined by an arc-shaped internal projection (32) of the boot sole. A boot according to claim 1 characterized in that the upper part has a slit (20) at the front that extends upwards; and in that the boot further comprises a front-tying lace element (35) anchored or passed in a back part of the boot. A boot according to claim 5 characterized in that it also has two through holes (36) at the back part to hook or anchor said lace element (35).

Inventors: ORIGGI AMBROGIO, PECIS SILVER, ORIGGI, AMBROGIO, PECIS, SILVER
Applicants: ORIGGI AMBROGIO, PECIS SILVER, ORIGGI, AMBROGIO, PECIS, SILVER
Application year: 1994
Main classification: A01L5
IPC codes: A01L3, A01L5